Moniz: WIPP 'core facility' for US

Energy secretary vows to support plant's reopening, continued growth

U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz spoke to members of the media and the Carlsbad community on Tuesday morning outside of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant after touring the shuttered facility. Moniz was with U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, left; Sen. Martin Heinrich; third from left; and U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce. (Photo by Zack Ponce — Current-Argus)

CARLSBAD &GT;&GT; U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz told the Carlsbad community and workers at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant that the federal government is committed to reopening the nuclear waste facility and ensuring that it operates for many years to come.

Moniz said WIPP was an "absolutely core facility for the country" and that all necessary resources would be deployed to help it recover and thrive after a truck at the plant caught fire Feb. 5 and then a radiation leak was detected Feb. 14. The plant has been closed for six months.

"If you stick with us, we'll stick with you," Moniz said, beginning a roughly 15-minute speech in front of about 250 people at the Leo Sweet Center on Monday night. "We are absolutely committed to this facility. We are, of course, committed to bringing it back to initial operations and then eventually to full operations, with safety fully in mind."

Moniz was joined by U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, and New Mexico Environment Department Secretary Ryan Flynn at the town hall. On Tuesday morning New Mexico's congressional delegation toured WIPP along with Moniz, and all three of them agreed with the Energy secretary that the facility should be reopened as soon as possible.

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Moniz said it appears evident that some sort of chemical reaction occurred in the waste drum that spewed trace amounts of americium and plutonium up to a half-mile outside of WIPP, but the Department of Energy is still not ready to release a full recovery plan.

Moniz said the Department of Energy could release its plan by late September, but said safety is the top concern in the recovery process.

WIPP opened in 1999 and has taken transuranic nuclear waste to help clean up 22 legacy waste sites across the country. The transuranic waste, commonly referred to as "TRU" waste, is stored 2,150 feet below ground in the region's Permian-age salt beds.

Moniz concluded by telling Carlsbad that the Department of Energy would not abandon the city that one day hopes to expand operations at WIPP beyond what is currently authorized by Congress.

"All of these things are in our mutual interest: getting back as soon as we can and keeping our skilled workforce together," Moniz said. "We're going to have bumps in the road, (but) we're going to continue to advocate for the resources needed."